Sleek and smooth, instead of boxy. All photos from the web.
As I mentioned in my last post, this time I was looking for a fancy minivan! While I wouldn’t have considered a Chrysler in the same league as a Cadillac or a Lincoln, in the minivan game, the Chrysler was a premium player.
I really liked these wheels.
I found my minivan at the Wheels and Deals consignment lot. I would cruise the lot every week looking for any likely prospect and found a ’97 Town and Country LXI. This was the long wheelbase, four door, loaded model. It had a gray leather interior with second row Captain’s chairs, rear air, and an 18 speaker Infinity sound system with a toggle stick fader control. It was a light purple gray color that I would have referred to as lilac or laurel. but Chrysler called it Iris Pearl. Either way, it was a nice color. It also had gold colored alloy wheels and a roof rack. It was very clean with a low mileage of 70K.
Captain’s Chairs; comfy.
Dual sliding doors were a game changer.
I liked it immediately, and this time, I was buying it to satisfy myself. It would be something that would be very useful for our family. We were down to our two youngest children, as the oldest was away at college.
This was a luxury model that was even more practical than our first van. I dubbed it “the Luxury Liner” as I thought of it like our own personal railway car.
It was longer than our last van, and there was plenty of legroom in the second row. The Captain’s chairs had two folding armrests and the rear air kept the back seat passengers happy. Two doors made it easier for those passengers to exit and there was also plenty of legroom in the third row. It was comfortable even for adults. These vans had excellent space utilization.
I have to admit that I liked driving it, it handled well and had plenty of power since it had the 3.8 V6. I also liked the way it looked.
We took a lot of trips in that van, it would cruise easily at 75-85 mph. I would be cruising along on the highway and be passed by some big Euro sedan or a sports car and twenty minutes later we would be the ones passing them. I especially loved passing old muscle cars, they would often be trundling along at 55-60 mph. I’d pass them, and then they would speed up to over 80 mph. and pass me. Ten minutes later I’d pass them again as they slowed back down to 55 mph.
I didn’t get it, did they think that were going to hurt these cars by driving faster?
Plenty of room, even with the seats in place.
These wheels made things a bit easier. However, you still had to lift the seat out with a grunt.
Removing the seats was only a bit easier than in our earlier van because the middle row had separate Captain’s chairs. However, the rear seat was even heavier. At least it had small wheels on the bottom of the seat frame.
As much as I’ve gotten to like SUVs, I have to give the minivan a higher mark for passenger carrying capability. Access to the third row was easier, and the lack of a center console allowed the driver or front passenger to get to the back without exiting the vehicle. A big advantage.
Once Chrysler introduced the Stow and Go seat design, minivans became just as adaptable as SUVs for carrying cargo.
One time we were going to San Francisco to see Phantom of the Opera with two of our friends and their wives. I suggested that we could all go in our van. It would be easier than going in separate cars. All we would need is one parking space at the restaurant where we went for dinner before the show, then one bridge toll, and only one parking spot in the parking garage in SF. Besides that, we could all carry on a conversation during the fifty mile trip to San Francisco.
It was a fun excursion. I always enjoy seeing a minivan or SUV fully loaded with passengers on their way somewhere. That was exactly what these vehicles were designed to do.
It is true that minivans are not designed for serious towing. I had a friend who loved fishing in the Bay, and he had a large boat. He would take advantage of any opportunity to tow his boat out to the water. He also had a Chrysler minivan. He went through two transmissions before he gave up and got a truck to tow it with.
My wife started a business buying and selling furniture that had been given the “Shabby Chic” treatment. We made many buying trips to antique fairs, swap meets, and meetings with CL sellers. With the seats out, there was plenty of room inside, and everything stayed secure. I didn’t have to worry that something might come loose and fly out of the bed. I still didn’t think that I needed a truck at this time.
We suffered a couple of serious mechanical failures with this van. The first was when the compressor for the a/c seized up. filling the engine compartment with foul-smelling smoke. That was due to the belt sliding over the locked up pulley. I initially thought the engine had caught fire! It was expensive, but we had it fixed.
The second problem was with the transmission. The four speed Ultramatic was known to have problems. My brother’s Grand Caravan had suffered a transmission failure at a fairly low mileage. I think that it was just out of warranty. The dealer came to an agreement to split the cost of the repair.
My van had made it to over 130K before the transmission gave up the ghost. This time I asked my mechanic for a recommendation. The transmission was rebuilt, not replaced with a new or rebuilt unit. We had a few problems with it that took a couple of return trips to the shop to get it squared away.
All was fine for a couple of more years until the tranny crapped out again. This time the van was towed home and I let it sit at the curb for months. I just let it sit, as I was sick of thinking about it. I decided that I wasn’t going to fix it. I didn’t really need it, so I called it quits.
Such a handsome face. It was good while it lasted.
Eventually, I decided to sell it for a very low price hoping that someone was willing to invest their money, or time and labor into it, and fix it for their own use. I cleaned it up inside and out, and truthfully it still looked really nice, as it was still in very good shape. The motor ran fine, the a/c worked, and the seats looked like new. I found a buyer who would take it for 1,000 bucks. It was a young guy with a big family, and he told me that he would swap out the transmission himself. I’ll bet that he had it up and running in no time!
This was the end of my almost twenty years of minivan driving. I had found them useful and was never bothered by the “stigma.” I was down to one kid at home and she was at the age where she didn’t want to spend all her time with her parents, anyway. I also had a pickup truck by this time, so no more need for a van.
Related CC reading:
Automotive History: The 1996-2000 Chrysler “NS” Minivans – The Culmination Of Nineties Chrysler
I’m glad you mentioned the styling. I think Chrysler got it just right on this generation: the proportions, detailing, and blend of aero and space efficiency are all just right. In my opinion, better styling than a lot of exotic Italian sports cars or German sedans.
I see you made it to Utradrive hell too (I tend to write “Ultramatic” too). Our ’92 GC went through three of them; the original went out within the full warranty; its replacement crapped out on the drive home from the dealer. #3 lasted until 88k miles, but I was able to get the dealer to pay 50%. #4 was a keeper; it was still going strong at 170k when I donated it, and then I saw it around town for another year or so.
My Promaster van’s 62TE transmission is really just a direct evolution of the A604, with two extra gears added on. But they’re mostly pretty reliable now, although every so often they do crap out on their owners. Some have been known to last 500k miles in highway delivery service; others not.
Glad to see you got so much use out of your Chrysler. In so many ways, these represent the peak of the minivan in terms of design and popularity. The transmission woes seemed to be endemic among minivans, as so many friends had similar issues with second-gen Honda Odysseys as well as Windstars. Perhaps these big and heavy vehicles outmatched the capacity of their transmissions to handle routine driving?
I regret not owning one of these, opting instead for a Ford Windstar at a weak moment. Chrysler’s styling was perfect, the dual sliding doors were genius and they were clearly the class leaders in packaging efficiency, versatility, and performance. With two preschoolers at the time, we would have been at the right stage of life to own one of these. However, the minivan stigma was too much for my wife, who came to really hate the Windstar and it was traded three years later for a Volvo wagon.
Well, with the Windstar, you had the head gasket eating 3.8l (until the split port induction version with mls head gaskets), the pitiful AX4S, and the likely to rust into 2 independent pieces rear twist beam axle.
We had a new 2003 Chrysler T&C minivan (I think I have the year right), and I liked it a lot. Didn’t keep it long because the wife hated it, even though we had three kids in car seats at the time. Was white with grey leather, though not as poofy and comfortable looking as your seats. I have never written it up as a COAL, I guess because it was a short-timer for us. But it was a great vehicle with kids. Was the last year, I think, you could get AWD which we had. Power steering rack was replaced under warranty and we had front brake warping too.
I definitely agree that these represented peak minivan. I had a 2001 Limited (so, it had AWD) version of this. All of your points re. how nicely appointed it was, the removable seats, and the dual sliding doors are the same I’d make. It was also quite powerful and was a great highway cruiser. Unfortunately, my ownership of this coincided with peak toddler years and two of them to boot. So, unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing new-looking (except maybe the driver’s seat, and the 3rd row seats that were removed and mostly lived in the basement) about that vehicle when we got rid of it.
Kind of a shame, because otherwise it was a great van that just wore out its welcome here through no real fault of its own.
Long-term readers may remember we owned five Chrysler-platform minivans over the years; two 3rd-gens, two 4th and a 5th-gen Routan. Our original ’98 Caravan was totaled at around 98K miles (transmission was still fine!), and our ’06 GC was totaled by a direct lightning strike while being driven by my younger son sporting a newly-minted driver’s license.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/road-trip-finale-our-trip-car-2005-chrysler-town-country/
My hands-down favorite was the used ’98 GC that replaced the original ’98. We bought it with around 95K miles, and it soldiered on to 278,727 miles before the transmission gave up (the only transmission problem we ever had, and with that kind of mileage, it was not unexpected).
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-278727-how-long-will-a-dodge-transmission-last/
The 4th-gens were a letdown – materials, fit and finish, and ergonomics were all much worse than the 3rds. Our Routan was a step back in the right direction, with exception that Chrysler didn’t let VW use stow-n-go middle seats, and despite having the excellent Pentastar V6, the transmission programming was absolutely horrid, making the driving experience a chore rather than a pleasure.
I owned a 1999 model, though mine was the lower trim LX. But it had the upgraded wheels and the Infinity stereo, which added a lot. For those who never spent time in one of these, it is hard to describe how satisfying they were. I never understood it myself until I got mine, which felt fabulous even at 200k miles. And it is hard to do better for hauling people and moderate amounts of stuff – in comfort.
A transmission took mine out too, and I did just what you did – I gave it to someone who paid to have the transmission rebuilt. That van ran for them for several years thereafter, and probably got up near 300k miles by the time they got done with it. I saw one of this generation on the road the other night – they have become pretty rare, but probably more commonly seen than any other Mopar save a Dodge pickup.
I had an a/c compressor lock up on a different vehicle, and will agree that it is a dramatic experience! I was lucky enough to have it happen right at startup, and I had the presence of mind to shut off the hvac before I shredded the serpentine belt.
My minivan journey ended with this Chrysler, after almost twenty years of driving them. I found that they were extremely useful as a family hauler, since the third row access is easier than in an SUV. The new Stow and Go models make it even easier to carry cargo. I rented a late model Grand Caravan a few years ago for our family vacation to Oregon. We took an adult child and their partner as well as tons of luggage and found that this minivan was even better than the older models.
I’ve had a few SUVs and a CUV since, and while I like the “rough and ready” feeling that they engender, I think that a lot of people could be better served by a minvan. Of course everybody is free to make up their minds.
I’ve never owned a Mini-van, but if I were buying one, it would be the Chrysler for sure. I did sell them for a while and my parents leased one from me (2004) and loved it.
The one thing that I can say about the Chrysler and Dodge vans, both from years ago and the newer ones, is that it seems like the interiors hold up really well. When you see vehicles from the same years with warped dashed, cracked dashes, door panels falling apart and seats that just didn’t wear well, you can look at nearly every older Chry/Dod van and is seems like the interiors were made to withstand even the harshest conditions. Makes sense since these were designed for hauling stuff and grubby kids.
I’ve mentioned this here before, when my kids were kids, we did a lot of the regular family stuff, church outings, school outings, soccer, Scouts, etc. After my kids outgrew the back of my Dakota extended cab, I started to acquiesce to the idea of the minivan. I had not owned one, but borrowed my in-law’s original Plymouth Voyager many times and realized this was the killer app for my transportation needs. However, my wife steadfastly refused to be seen in a “mommyvan” and we ended up in a Pontiac Aztek instead.
I have a friend who gets the Chrysler discount; he had minivans through the third and fourth generations. In fact, he had two fourth gens, one Dodge and one Plymouth, one right after another due to leasing, but I really came to appreciate that version. Like mentioned in the article, until the advent of Stow N Go, this was the best iteration of the Chrysler minivan.
A couple of years ago, I bought a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country and I been pleased with it. Like the OP, I have loaded it up with friends and family and gone on road trips, moved tons of furniture and find it a very competent daily driver. It feels like a grown-up person’s vehicle, not something styled “like” an SUV or a sports car. One thing that amused me in the responses were the spouses that refused to be seen in a minivan, as my wife STILL refuses to drive the T&C…